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Rain slows cleanup of oil well spill in greater Houston

Xinhua,December 20, 2017 Adjust font size:

HOUSTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Rain has slowed cleanup at the site of an oil spill near neighborhood in greater Houston, Texas in the United States, local authorities told reporters on Tuesday.

The cleanup company had expected to finish last weekend, but now with only about a third of the job complete it won't wrap up until after Christmas.

So far, the cleanup team has scooped up about 2,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, but between 5,000 and 6,000 cubic yards remain, Steven Childers, vice president of emergency response for Haz Mat Special Services, said.

The well blew on Dec. 6, when its operator hit a pressure pocket that overpowered the amount of drilling mud packed in to prevent the oil from shooting up around the drill stem. With the help of wind, oil spewed across a section of the 40,000-square meter property. Enditem

 

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